Even the abattoir built in Thankot by Quality Meat Products Limited (QMPL) has been destroyed and turned into a housing site as the owners found real estate business more lucrative. [break]
Likewise, another butchery built in Kakani hasn´t come into operation as the owner of the company, who received Rs 2,500,000 in assistance from the government, is at large.
The government provided financial support to entrepreneurs willing to build slaughter houses to ensure supply of hygienic meat to the consumers in the capital.
The ownership of the land in Thankot has changed thrice. "The Chairman of the company Radha Krishna Shahi and other stake-holders have sold the land to Narayan Karki without giving information to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS)," a report prepared by the committee formed by DLS said. Narayan Karki has then sold the Land to DN Pathak for the other purposes.
The QMPL operated with the support of the Third Livestock Development Project (TLDC), a government project run under the aegis of Asian Development Bank (ADB). Equipment worth more than 10 millions were provided to the company through the project. The chairman of the company Radha Krishna Shahi and other stakeholders have yet to return the equipment to the government despite failing to bring the slaughter house into operation. The company had built a cold store with a capacity of 50 ton but it has been destroyed, too.
The DLS has also formed a committee to further investigate the matter after the owners of the company fled without informing the government. "During the inspection we found even the structures that had been built were destroyed, and most of the equipment provided by the government were not to be seen," Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Community Livestock Development Project Dr Umesh Dahal said.
Another slaughter house built in Nuwakot´s Kakani has also not come into operation even after the owner Basu Dev Bista received government assistance. "He (Bista) took the grant to start the abattoir but has been out of contact for more than 18 months," Dahal said. "He had not even bought the equipment needed to run the slaughter house."
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